Avatar: The Legend is Born
by Deyna Ian Bloom
Summary: The earth is unbalanced. Benders are treated as though gods, and those who can't bend are nothing. Ava, a worthless Earth Kingdom girl, must rise up and master the four elements, and begin a legend that will change everything.
1. Ch1: The Spirits

Avatar: The Legend is Born

I-I

Prologue

The Avatar. You hear the words, and you know exactly what they mean. A hero of the four nations. Master of all four elements. The one who binds the four nations together in harmony.

It wasn't always like that.

There was a time when there was no Avatar. When bending your birth element was still new to the world, and not always a gift you were born with. The nations warred, not with each other, but with their own people. Brother turned against brother. Those who were not born with a bending ability were thought to be inferior. People forgot that bending had been learned from Dragons, and other creatures. Benders were above all other things that walked the earth. They ruled the world and were better than everyone and everything else.

Someone had to change them.

But who?

I-I

Chapter 1

I-I

Ava, born to the Earth Kingdom, was not special. At a young age, the age when it became apparent a child had been born to wield an element, it was discovered that she could not bend. She became no one to her people. Two of her siblings could bend earth, one above and one below her. Her parents could bend nothing, but became part of the social elite with not one, but TWO earth bending children. Ava was not spoken of. She wasn't sure people even knew she existed. But that's how it was. Children who could not bend were often plunked together in a dark room while their parents and siblings strutted their stuff.

Ava saw nothing wrong with this while she was still a child. It's the way the world is, she was taught. If you cannot bend, you are nothing. Worthless. Before Ava grew older, being worthless was fine with her. Her siblings could bend and that made them gods. She looked up to them. They were her everything.

Ava, fetch water for your brother and sister. They're thirsty.

Yes, anything for my bending siblings.

Ava, help clean up the earth bending practice yard.

Of course of course! Maybe I'll even get to SPEAK to my earth bending siblings!

When she was 10, she was determined to impress her family and join her siblings. She saw her parents pour their love into her brother and sister. 'My parents love me,' she thought to herself. 'I just have to get them to show it!'

Seemed simple enough. Learn earth bending, gain parents love.

Yep, this would work.

Ava made her plan, and executed it. Her parents and siblings often took a stroll in the family garden, and sometimes stopped to "enjoy the scenery." Ava followed them one day and waited for them to sit down at their garden pond.

"What a lovely day," her mother said in delight.

Her brother bended pebbles into the pond while her sister bended a rock for her parents to sit on. Ava grinned from her hiding spot behind a bush. Now was my chance!

She hopped out and picked up a large stone from the path. She aimed, and threw it into the pond, splashing everyone. She quickly hid before her family could see what she had done, and then popped out and ran up to them.

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" she said with fake concern. "I didn't realize you were so close. I was trying out a new bending move." She smiled with pride and waited for them to shower her with affection.

All four members of her family froze…..then her brother spoke up.

"You can't bend, Ava," he said in confusion.

"Now, now," her mother said. "Maybe Ava is a late bloomer." She stood and faced Ava. "Show us again, Ava. Bend that rock out of the pond."

Four pairs of eyes waited. Ava suddenly realized that she hadn't thought everything through with this brilliant plan of hers.

"Umm…" she said while scratching her ear. They waited. Ava hung her head in defeat. "I can't…."

Her father stood up. "Ava, you know you're not gifted or special. It's a fact of life. Neither you nor I can change that, no matter how hard you want to. Your siblings are better than you. You are nothing."

His voice sounded so kind and loving that Ava believed him. She _was_ nothing.

"I'm sorry, Father," she said with a bow. "I forgot my place. I am worthless next to my brother and sister. It's my life, the way I was born."

Her father smiled. "Good girl." Then he turned away from her and said to the others, "I believe the cook has dinner ready. Let's go."

They left Ava alone in the garden. She smiled to herself. 'How could I have been so stupid? It's because I'm worthless that they don't show their love to me. Doesn't mean they don't love me,' she thought. 'I just forgot my place.' And with that, she skipped to the kitchen to get her table scraps.

In Ava's heart, she believed all that her father had told her. And she accepted it as a fact of life. It didn't make her sad or angry. Acceptance made her happy. She didn't know the truth, and didn't care.

Five years passed, and Ava was still living in the dark. Her siblings were improving in their bending while Ava stood on the sidelines, happy to be worthless. She was their puppet, and she had no idea.

One night, she laid down on her lumpy mattress in her small dusty room (her siblings had luxurious rooms, and feather mattresses,) unaware that her world was about to change. Who she was and what she knew would never be the same again.

As soon as her eyes closed, she saw four figures before her. Grey silhouettes that floated in the air. She should've been frightened, but she wasn't. The figures slowly became clearer to her.

One was a fish. The fish was silver white with a black spot on its back and the moon shimmered behind it.

One was a dragon. Smoke curled from out its nostrils with every breath.

One was a bison. Its tail whipped with the wind.

The last was a large badgermole. Long sharp claws clicked as it flexed its paws.

Ava rubbed her eyes and looked again. They were all still there.

"Avaaaaa," they all called, their shapes becoming clearer ever second.

'Okay, they'd better stop doing that,' she thought. 'It's creepy.'

The fish spirit flipped its tail around and spoke (which was way more creepy than them saying her name like a spooky ghost foursome.)

"Ava, we have come to you for help," the fish said, in a whispered female voice that echoed the last few words. _For help…._

"The world is out of balance," the dragon said, in a deep regal male voice.

"The power the people possess has become a poison to them," the bison said, in a husky gender neutral voice.

"You must help them," the badgermole said, in a motherly female voice.

Ava looked up and down, trying to figure out what was going on. "Umm….you have the wrong girl. I'm just an ordinary worthless person. I can't bend earth. You want my siblings. I'll get them for you." She stood, even though she didn't realize she was sitting, and took a step towards her bedroom door. With a gasp, she realized that she wasn't in her room. The four spirits were all floating up in the clouds, and so was she. She clapped a hand over her mouth and tried not to scream.

"No," the fish said. _No….._ "You are the one we need." _The one we need….._

"You are the one we have chosen," the dragon boomed, smoke puffing out of his nose.

Ava didn't want to interrupt, since she had a feeling they were all supposed to speak in turn before the point was finished, but she couldn't help it. "No….you really…" She broke off as she stared at the four spirits. Their eyes spoke more than their words. The world was in trouble. They needed her.

She sighed and bowed her head. "Alright. I'll umm…..try." She peeked up and pointed a finger at them. "But I'm not promising ANYTHING! I can't bend, like I said. I'm worthless. I'm no one."

"That is not true," the fish whispered. _Not true…_ "Even if you cannot bend, you are still mighty." _Still mighty…._

Ava blinked a few times, then smiled in excitement. "So….if you want me to save the world, it's gonna be with some awesome karate or something?"

The badgermole chuckled. "You will learn to bend like the first ones did. They were not born with the talent. They were not handed it like humans are now."

"Your people are the lucky ones," the dragon said. Ava couldn't help feeling like she should be bowing at his feet whenever he spoke. His voice carried so much power. Was he the king of the dragons or something?

"The first benders struggled and learned by watching us," the bison said, its fur whipping in the cold wind.

"By watching….you four spirits?" Ava asked. That didn't make sense…

The spirits laughed lightly in unison, with the creepy fish's laugh echoing.

"These are not our true forms," the dragon said.

"We chose these forms to help you," the bison said, the fish echoing its agreement. _To help you…._

"To help me what?" Ava asked.

"Ava!" someone yelled. The figures wavered and began to vanish.

"No, come back!" Ava yelled, running towards the spirits. "To help me what?"

"Ava!" the voice yelled again.

Ava woke up with a start to her mother yelling and pounding on her door.

"I am not worthless," she whispered to herself, before getting up.

And for the first time in her life, she accepted it.

I-I


	2. Ch2: Kenji

Chapter 2

I-I

Ava continued her daily life as if nothing had happened. Even though the information the spirits had given her was crucial, she had no idea what to do with it.

Jun and Hiroshi, other worthless children, met Ava outside her house the next day. Worthless people didn't wear colours, their clothes were a dull brown-grey. Jun usually wore a flowing skirt that was beautiful, even in such a dull colour. Hiroshi always wore a long vest that showed off his muscled arms. Ava usually wore a long shirt over tight pants, which made her look pretty scruffy. Worthless people didn't have extra clothes. They had one outfit to live and sleep and die in.

Jun waved to Ava from her spot on the road as Ava closed the front gate to her house. Jun's long brown hair whipped and flowed with the wind, while Ava's short hair just got poofy. Hiroshi's hair was a dull black and never looked natural.

"Hey Ava, watch this!" Jun yelled, before doing a cartwheel that made her run into Hiroshi. "Okay," Ava said from beneath Hiroshi. "Still needs some work."

Ava rolled her eyes. "Why are you doing that stuff anyway? You know we don't learn things."

Hiroshi shot Ava a look while getting up. He'd never agreed with the whole "worthless" thing. Only Ava and Jun's pleading had kept him quiet about it. Worthless people didn't talk out of turn.

"Can I tell her? Can I tell her?" Jun jumped up and down next to Hiroshi, grabbing his sleeve.

He sighed. "Fine, go ahead."

"THERE'S A GROUP OF FIRE NATION PEOPLE HERE!" Jun yelled in Ava's face, clearly excited about this occurrence.

Ava grabbed Jun's arm and held her away at arms length in case she decided to yell again. "Great. Fantastic. Remind me why this is so cool?"

"I dunno, I thought it might be cool to meet other people like us," Jun said with a smile. Hiroshi grunted his disapproval at the word usage.

Ava followed her friends to the middle of town and was greeted with a large procession coming down the main street. All dressed in red, the firebenders put on a show for everyone watching. They juggled fire, spewed fire, jumped through fire rings. Jun clapped and smiled, tugging on Ava's sleeve to get her attention. Hiroshi leaned against a building next to them, staying in the shadows.

'He'll never get over it,' Ava thought to herself. Her mind flashed and she remembered the bison saying, "Even if you cannot bend, you are still mighty." …wait….or was it the fish that said it… She twitched thinking about the fish. It was definitely high on the creepy scale.

After all of the firebenders had passed, the crowd started to leave. Ava took a few steps towards the market but Jun grabbed her sleeve again.

"Not YET!" Jun squeaked. "Look," she said with a pointing finger. Ava followed Jun's gaze and saw a group of about twenty teenagers and children, all dressed in dull brown and carrying luggage, no doubt the belongings of their party and not their own. They looked dirty and like they hadn't eaten in days. Jun approached them with a smile, but they shied away from her.

"The world is out of balance." The dragon's voice echoed in her mind as she watched Jun trying to get the worthless fire children to talk to her. Hiroshi kicked the wall a few times, mumbling a rant about equalism. With a sigh, Ava left her friends and went to the marketplace.

Worthless people didn't have money. Like ever. If you were worthless and had money, people knew you had stolen it. Ava liked to walk through the marketplace and see what was for sale, even if she couldn't buy anything. Everything had the symbol of the Earth Nation on it and everything was in earth tones. Green, brown, tan. Some colours get old after a while.

She kept going after she'd passed the normal shops, and eagerly browsed through the temporary shops that the Fire Nation had brought. Everything was red and black and gold. So many bright colours. She ached to buy at least one thing, just so she could remember the colours.

"There's something in my shop for every budget."

Ava gasped and almost fell over a bucket. The voice had come from a young man, not even 20, who was sitting at one of the Fire Nation booths. He grinned at her while she righted herself and walked up to him. His hair was black and his skin pale, like most Fire Nation people. Ava's hair was dirt brown, just like the Earth Kingdom, and her skin was dusted with a natural tan. His body was coated with taunt muscles just aching to be flexed. Ava was, in her mind, dumpy and chubby.

"I have no money, I'm sorry." She looked with longing at a necklace, bursting with Fire Nation colours. Red, black and gold alternating beads, with a shiny Fire Nation emblem for the charm.

"I said I have something for every budget." He took the necklace down and held it in front of her.

Ava bit her lip, but the words got out anyway. "I don't deserve something so pretty." She started to walk away, but he grabbed her sleeve.

"Oh I think you do," he said with another grin. "I'm Kenji of the Fire Nation, and this will cost you two things."

Ava looked at the necklace again, remembering the words of the spirits. She slowly brought her eyes up to meet Kenji's. "What two things?"

He smiled. "Nothing much. Just your name." Ava's hand moved towards the necklace, but Kenji pulled it back. "Name first."

She scowled at him. She wanted that necklace! "I'm Ava." His face darkened. She hadn't added, "Of the Earth Kingdom," which was a dead give away that she wasn't a bender.

He pulled away when she reached for the necklace again. "I said two things, little sprite," he said with a smile.

She narrowed her eyes. "Fine. What's the second."

He shrugged. "Oh, nothing much. Just…..a kiss." His grin could've been seen from the moon.

Ava moved her jaw around in thought. _All I have to do is kiss him once and he'll give me that necklace._ "Just ONE kiss?"

Kenji leaned against the counter while swinging the necklace on his finger. "Just one."

"You have a deal, Kenji of the Fire Nation." He smiled and leaned forward to get his kiss, but Ava's hand stopped him. "Necklace first, tall boy."

He lifted his right eyebrow in frustration for her calling him that. "How do I know you won't just take it and run and not give me my payment?"

Ava looked him straight in the eye. "You have my word as a worthless no one." He didn't say anything for a minute, just studied her face. His hand slowly dipped and the necklace fell into her hands.

_Well, a deal's a deal._

Ava leaned up to be level with his face, which was difficult because he was a foot taller than her. She reached up and ran a finger up his neck muscles, before gently putting her lips to his. His lips were moist, soft and just the right size. The heat from him moved from her lips and down to her spine, where it stayed and felt like an itch. She pulled away and opened her eyes to see him still standing there like she hadn't moved and was still kissing him. His lips were too tempting, so she shut her eyes again and planted five more long kisses on them.

"Th….." she swallowed, a mere breath away from his mouth. "Thank you, Kenji."

His golden eyes opened and he grinned at her, with a slight stunned look on his face. "No. Thank you, little sprite. And since that was more than the promised price…"

Gently, he reached down to his neck and in one movement, slipped a necklace from his neck to hers. She straightened, moving away from him and his wonderful lips, and lifted the necklace. The emblem on the round charm was the same on both sides: a fire nation symbol with a dragon wrapped around it.

She looked up at him, brought her hands together in front of her and bowed slightly at the waist. "Thank you, Kenji of the Fire Nation."

He grinned again, something she could tell he did a lot. "If your currency was kisses, every peddler in the market would let you buy from their stand."

She grinned back. "Who says I'd offer it to anyone but you?" In her mind, she wondered when she had learned how to flirt.

I-I


End file.
